Microsoft pitches PC isolation ward to defeat botnets

10-08-2010 • COMPUTERWORLD

Under Charney's proposal, PCs would be issued a "health certificate" that showed whether the system was fully patched, that it was running security software and a firewall, and that it was malware-free. Machines with deficiencies would require patching or an antivirus update, while bot-infected PCs might be barred from the Internet. Quarantining PCs could be a last-step measure, Charney said, to keep compromised PCs from threatening others on the Web. "Just as when an individual who is not vaccinated puts others' health at risk, computers that are not protected or have been compromised with a bot put others at risk and pose a greater threat to society," Charney argued in a post to a company blog. "We need to improve and maintain the health of consumer devices connected to the Internet in order to avoid greater societal risk."

2 Comments in Response to Microsoft pitches PC isolation ward to defeat botnets

Comment by JustinTyme

Entered on: 10/8/2010 2:44:15 PM

The most interesting point, in my mind, is the fact that it's a simple security certificate that could be revoked based on the state of your machine. That same certificate could be revoked with just a "flip of a switch" and disable any person of interest's internet access. A hell of a kill switch. ;-)

Comment by Ned The Head

Entered on: 10/8/2010 11:10:47 AM

What a freaking joke! The people that put out the most insecure operating systems in history propose to bar the rest of us from the net. I'm hoping anyone on Linux, BSD and OSX systems get a free pass on this bullcrap.

Microsoft, you aren't solving the problem, you are the problem.

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